Cam Norte Schools Now Have Access to Knowledge Channel

Five public elementary schools in the town of Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte now have access to Knowledge Channel thanks to the 100 for 100 The Knowledge Channel Project of Rotary International, The Rotary Foundation (TRF) and Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI)

This is the first time KCFI has reached this second-class municipality where more than 30 public schools are supervised by the Jose Panganiban West and East districts of the Department of Education. Despite the distance and remoteness of some schools, watching Knowledge Channel is now possible; thanks to the direct-to-home (DTH) satellite service of Sky Direct as well as the technical support provided by TeleRed Technologies, an ally of KCFI.

KCFI along with the alumni of Jose Panganiban National High School Batch 1982 traveled more than 300 km last Mar 26-28, 2017 to deliver and install six educational television systems. The five beneficiary schools were: Calogcog Elementary School, Jose Panganiban Elementary School, Segundo Aguirre Elementary School, Sta. Milagrosa Elementary School, and Osmeña Elementary School.

Dubbed as the “biggest classroom on-air,” more than 2,000 learners and close to 100 teachers can now watch quality educational and curriculum-based shows aired on Knowledge Channel. Their schools will also participate in KCFI’s teacher training program called LEEP or Learning Effectively through Enhanced and Evidence-Based Pedagogies.

LOOK: KCFI, Rotary Int’l and Jose Panganiban National High School Batch 1982 joined forces to install Sky Direct satellite dishes and 50-inch television sets to five public elementary schools in Jose Panganiban.

ETV for 21st Century Learning

Calogcog Elementary School was the first to receive the educational TV package. The mountainside school is home to less than a dozen teachers and around 400 learners. One of them is Francis Cabanas, a sixth grade student.

Francis walks two hours to school everyday with only seven pesos in his pocket. It is enough for him to buy a piece of bread and iced water. This money is something he has to earn from his uncle when they take part in small-scale mining activities in the area. There are even days when he has had to miss school. In spite of this, he still makes an effort to make it to class. “Maganda kasi ang turo po sa amin at magagaling ang teacher dito (We learn well from our teachers and they’re very good),” Francis explained.

Ms. Gloria Artana is Francis’ class adviser and one of the school’s longest-serving teachers. In her 20 years of service, this is the first time a television has ever been delivered to their doorstep. She is happy, knowing that students like Francis will benefit from Knowledge Channel.